BT embraces diversity as a real means of enhancing its business, including gender diversity: attracting, promoting and retaining more women through its recruitment, retention, talent management, and pay policies and practices, thus gaining competitive advantage by securing a more talented workforce. BT monitors pay equality and has pay structures in place to ensure that employees who provide equal value receive equal pay. The reward structures in place ensure that, for all roles, salaries are based o the skills e ui ed the ole. BT s fle i le a d remote working policies enable employees to deliver to customers while also fulfilling responsibilities to their family and wider community. BT provides employees with access to a wide variety of information and services through its Family and You portal. The portal identifies a range of critical life stages and the provisions made by BT and others to support employees. For example, new parents are linked to guidance about Childcare Vouchers, and employees who
e o e Ca e s a e li ked to the BT Ca e s Net o k. BT s Wo e s Net o k p o ides suppo t fo women, to enable them to get into management or hold senior management positions. In BT, 99 percent of new mothers return to work after maternity leave. BT regularly compares its practices and approaches to those of other organizations by benchmarking; in the UK, BT is currently in the Top 10 employers for Opportunity Now (Gender) and Working Families (working parents, carers, and work-life balance). The compa also e ei ed a listi g i The Ti es Top Employers for Women.
Credits
O fa I te atio al, , Ge de e ualit , it s ou usi ess. B iefi gs fo Busi ess No . I te atio al Edition. © Oxfam International February 2012.
IFC & G‘I, , E eddi g Ge de i “ustai a ilit ‘epo ti g, A P a titio e s Guide E e uti e “u a . IFC In partnership with the governments of Germany, Iceland, and Switzerland.
U ited Glo al I pa t a d UNIFEM, , Wo e s E po e e t P i iples. E uality Means Business. I additio , a p ese tatio p o idi g a o e ie of the Wo e s E po e e t P i iples a e fou d o Slideshare.
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Tool 4.3b Business as a key player in value chains
From Oxfam International, GRI & IFC and UNIFEM & UNGC Why use this tool?
The outsourcing of the production of goods and services to small and medium-sized enterprises i de elopi g ou t ies has eated e oppo tu ities fo o e s e plo e t, oth as employees and women entrepreneurs. However, much of this employment is informal employment, where workers often lack protection under legal or regulatory frameworks in terms of wages, working hours, and unemployment benefits and only few female entrepreneurs manage to get integrated in high value chains.
Women make up a growing percentage of the global agricultural labor force and produce a high percent of all basic foodstuffs. However, women face unequal access to essential inputs, land ownership, and services – such as credit and extension – all of which are crucial for successful fa i g. La ge o pa ies a d thei supplie s a take steps to uphold o e s ights a d economic opportunities in the supply chains, while at the same time ensuring access to untapped channels of agricultural produce for their company.
Increasingly, companies are recognizing the potential of previously untapped and less affluent markets in developing countries, and are looking at women both as clients and as potential sales agents and distributors of products to reach these markets. This trend – described as selling to the otto of the p a id – involves the design of products such as micro-credit or micro- insurance financial products, mobile phone banking facilities, smokeless stoves, or simply medicines and cosmetics in smaller pack sizes, that fit the needs of poor groups.
What do you gain from using it? Avoid reputational damage
Being aware of the real conditions in your value chain, and engaging in a constructive dialogue that drives continual improvement in gender e uit , g eatl edu es a o pa s isk of sudde reputational damage. Consumer and media interest in supply chain conditions is growing as the world becomes smaller and more interconnected. Adopting an honest, longer-term relationship with your supply base, rewarding suppliers who best meet your gender equality and human rights standards and buyers who source product from the best suppliers, will result in higher standards throughout your chain, longer-term commercial relationships, and a more stable business model.
Diversification of suppliers
Doing business with a diverse range of suppliers (including businesses owned by women) reduces supply chain risks.
Increased crop quality and productivity
There are also compelling business cases for purchasing more from women smallholders, and for providing better inputs and training as women form the majority of the agricultural producer base in many parts of the world. Evidence shows that enabling women to have equal access to inputs, services, and land improves yields. It shows that female smallholders often pay greater attention than men to crop quality and that productivity tends to increase as a result of increasing their access to technical training.
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Open up new markets
Botto of the p a id p odu ts a d services enable companies to identify new markets and, at best, get genuinely essential services to those who have previously been disregarded as unprofitable by commercial markets. They can open up completely new business avenues for companies.
Who applies this tool and for whom?
This tool provides a checklist of possible actions to be taken by the management of a company. The checklist can also be used for lobby to encourage the management to address gender equality in their supply chain.
How does it work?
The tool deals with the following 3 steps, which can be considered as subsequent steps, in reality they will be dealt with interchangeably in an iterative process:
Implementation and practice
1. General supply chain management
a. Business as purchaser of agri-food commodities b. Selling products and services (Bottom of the Pyramid) 2. Measurement
3. Reporting
Step 1 Implementation and practice
a. General supply chain management
Procurement departments or those responsible for contracting and relationship management ith supplie s pla a sig ifi a t ole i o ga izatio s poli ies, ite ia, a d de isio -making regarding supplier selection. There are a range of initiatives and activities in which organizations can engage in as part of an institutional-wide gender sustainability strategy.
Promotion of gender equality practices within the supply chain:
Publish a clear and unambiguous executive-level policy statement/ position to help ensure that e plo ees a d the pu li a e a a e of the o ga izatio s suppo t fo gender equality practices in their supply chain.
Put in place procurement policies and procedures that are gender-sensitive.
Identify mechanisms to help ensure that suppliers meet these policies and procedures in order to be eligible for procurement.
Run supplier mentoring and training programs on gender practices and reporting. “eek supplie s sha i g the o ga izatio s o it e t to ge de e ualit . ‘e uest f o potential suppliers information on their gender policies and supplier diversity.
Publish a list of the largest suppliers and their gender policies. Request third-pa t audits of supplie s ge de pe fo a e data.
Promotion of supplier diversity:
Adopt a idel a epted defi itio fo a o e s e te p ise fo the pu poses of ei g a le to effectively report on gender diversity in the supply chain.
Determine the financial value and percentage of total procurement spending done by vendor, broken down by gender and type of supplier.
Within the guidelines of the local law, analyze the existing supply chain to establish the current baseline number of first- and second-tier suppliers that meet the definition of
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o e s e te p ises, a d ide tif oppo tu ities to ea h out to a d st e gthe pa t e shipswith women-owned and-managed businesses.
If applicable, esta lish ta gets to aise the u e of o e s e te p ises ithi the suppl chain.
Work with a third-party organization that can help identify, verify, and certify women-owned usi esses i the o ga izatio s suppl hai .
Ide tif a o e s e te p ise ha pio ithi the o ga izatio s p o u e e t department to keep track of supplier-diversity statistics.
Make available to staff a list of suppliers and sub- o t a to s that a e o e s e te p ises for inclusion in procurement processes (particularl du i g out ea h at the e p essio of i te est stage .
I ease t a spa e aki g pu li ke i fo atio a out ho the o ga izatio s suppl chain works, how the organization sources from vendors, what is being sourced from vendors, and, if applicable, how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can register as preferred suppliers and compete for contracts.
Create outreach initiatives, offer a supplier mentoring program, and host matchmaking e e ts a d p o u e e t fai s ta geti g o e -owned businesses to help develop their capacity to become quality suppliers.